Steelers' Starks has big job against Bengals

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The Steelers' Max Starks will try to do what two left tackles before him could not: slow down Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom.

Odom has an astounding seven sacks through two games, which is five more than the Steelers have as a team. The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder sacked Aaron Rodgers five times Sunday in the Bengals' 31-24 upset of the Packers in Green Bay.

"He's on my side, so it's going to be a very fun game for me," Starks said Monday. "Odom's a guy, he has speed, but he likes to be inside most of the time. For me, it's going to be about being stout. He wants to pick you apart, get you with his power and use his quickness more so than using his speed upfield."

Odom's career-high in sacks is eight, which he had in 2007 with the Tennessee Titans.

• The Steelers had several costly defensive penalties in their 17-14 loss to the Chicago Bears. One, a roughing the passer call on outside linebacker James Harrison, came after punter Daniel Sepulveda had pinned the Bears inside their 5-yard line. Another, a holding call on inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, gave the Bears a first down after quarterback Jay Cutler had thrown an incomplete pass on third down. The Bears went on to score a game-tying touchdown at the end of the first half.

"When James was rushing, the fullback still had him and the fullback kind of turned him into the quarterback, which got him," outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said after the Steelers reviewed film of the game. "The other one, Timmons was coming off the line and might have touched the guy a little bit and the guy fell ... that's things we can't control."

DIGITS

85.6 — Ben Roethlisberger's passer rating through two games.

93.4 — Opposing quarterbacks' combined passer rating in two games against the Steelers.

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